Windmill.



H. C. ABERN. WINDMI LL.

APPLICATION FIL ED AUG. 6 1914.

1,169,223, Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI 1.

.4, J/XFZa-rw Tm: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

H. C. ABERN.

WINDMILL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.6| 1914.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE CQLUMUXA PLANOGRAPH :0 WASHINGTON, n. c.

HALSEY C. ABERN, OF MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA.

WINDIVIILL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

Application filed August 6, 1914. Serial No. 855,495.

and useful Improvements in VVindmi'lls;

and I do declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the inven-,

tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in wind mills and has for its primary object to provide a retractable hood for effectually shielding the wind wheel against snow,

ain and the like.

A secondary object is to construct said hood in such a manner as to cause the same to direct the currents of air downwardly, a horizontally disposed wind wheel being employed.

A further object is to provide an extremely simple and efiicient structure for carrying out the above objects.

Vith these objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein: Figurelis a side elevation of a wind mill constructed in accordance with my invention, parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a section through the upper portionof the device with the hood lowered; Fin. 3 is a similar view with the hood raised; Fig. 4- is a horizontal section taken on the line l4: of Fig. 1.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown my improved wind mill as comprismg a tower 1, a windwheel 2 supported thereby, a sectional hood 3 disposed above said wind wheel and means whereby motion may be transmitted from the wind wheel to a pump and numerous other machines.

The tower 1 may be of any suitable con struction but is here shown as comprising a number of upright angleiron standards 4L which are connected, near their upper ends, to a rectangular frame 5 while their lower portions are secured to a similar frame 6 of greater dimensions, other frames 7 and suitable brace rods 8 being interposed between said frames 5 and 6.

Centrally located within the upper frame 5 and supported therein by arms 9 having their ends secured in the corners of said frame, is a sectional bearing 10 through which the upper end of the upright hollow shaft 11 of the wheel 2 revo-lubly passes.

Revolubly mounted above the upper frame 5 and guided by upper and lower rollers 35 and 35 respectively, is a ring 36 which lies in a horizontal plane and which supports the hood 3, said hood comprising a fixed section 3'? which is shaped similarly to a quarter of a globe, one of its open ends being secured to one half of the ring 36 while its remaining end stands upright and is provided, directly above said ring, with a pair of forwardly projecting bearings 38 which revolubly support a transverse shaft 39 whose central portion is formed into a crank 40. Fixed upon the shaft 39, and adapted to be moved into the section 37, is a second hood section 41 which is shaped similarly to the section 37, its lower edge however, being free to move upwardly to allow the two sections to telescope as seen in Fig. 8.

As clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 3 the hood section 4-1 is normallv extended or lowered by a pair of coil springs 42- which are secured to the inner side of the ring 36 and to an appropriate part of said hood section. The tension of these springs however, may be overcome by the provision of a cable 43 which is attached to the crank 40, extends over a guide pulley l-l swiveled upon the upper end of the shaft 11 and then depends through said shaft, its lower end being wound upon. a drum which is revolubly supported in any preferred manner. a suitable pawl and ratchet mechanism d6 being employed for the purpose of locking said. drum against movement when the cable is wound thereon to raise the section 41.

The wind wheel 9 comprises a number of anfrularly disposed vanes 47 whlch are struck from a single circular sheet of metal as clearly seen in Fig. i, the wheel being provided with a central bearing 48 which is rigidly keyed upon the shaft 11 and which rests upon the bearing 10.

lVith the parts as above described, the operation of the device is as follows :-The hood section 4L1 is raised by the means before described and the section 37 is turned upon the rollers 35 and 35, by a suitable vane 4E9 which is rigidly secured to said section, it being understood that this turning occurs as the wind blows, to position the open end of the section 37 in a direction a from which the wind is blowing, thereby conducting the currents of air downwardly between the vanes 47 of the wind wheel 2. It will be clearly seen that this'down'ward draft will rotate the wheel 2 which in'turn drives the shaft 11, the latter now rotating the shaft 24, when the clutch mechanism is shifted to operative position to drive a pump or other machine. If desired, the entire lower part of the tower 1 may be incased as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. VJ hen the operation of the mill is no longer needed, the drum 45 may be rotated in such a direction as to allow the springs 43 to again lower the hood section 41, thereby not only efiectually protecting the wind wheel against the elements, but preventing the same from being operated by currents of air. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wind mill comprising a supporting structure, a wind wheel supported thereby to revolve in a horizontal plane, a hollow shaft depending therefrom, a hood supported above said wheel to revolve in a horizontal plane, said hood having a section pivoted to swing upwardly, and an operating element connected with said section and depending through said hollow shaft, whereby access may be given into the hood through 7 one of its sides.

2. A. wind mill comprising a supporting structure, a wind wheel supported thereby to revolve in a horizontal plane, a hood normally covering said wheel and revoluble in a horizontal plane, said hood having a section pivoted tobe swung into its interior, and means whereby said section may be turned around its pivot.

3. A wind mill comprising a supporting structure, a wind wheel supported thereby to revolve in a horizontal plane, a substantially semi-globular hood supported above said wheel to revolve in horizontal plane,

and formed in two sections, one being pivoted to swing into the other, and means for swinging the movable section around its pivot.

4. A wind mill comprising a supporting structure, an upright hollow shaft revolubly mounted therein, a windwheel carried by said shaft, a substantially semi-globular hood supported above said wheel to revolve in a horizontal plane and formed in two sections, one being pivoted to swing into the other, a crank shaft extending across said hood and constituting the pivot for the movable section, and a flexible opera-ting element attached to the crank of said crank shaft.

5. A wind mill comprising a supporting structure, an upright hollow shaft revolubly mounted therein, a horizontal wind wheel keyedv to the upper portion of said shaft, a number of guides on said structure, a horizontal ring revolubly supported by said guides, a substantially quarter globular hood section having one of its open ends secured to said ring, its other end standing upright above said ring, a vane on said section, a transverse crank shaft journaled through opposite sides of said section, a flexible operating element attached to the crank of the crank shaft and depending through said hollow shaft, and a second substantially quarter globular hood section secured to said crank shaft and adapted to be swung into the interior of the first mentioned section by rotation of the crank shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

nALsEr o. ABERN,

Witnesses OSCAR SHIRLEY, R MoRsn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

